Patience and Advent
Christian realism---Patience. James 5:7-10
JI Packer is his book Knowing God says this in his chapter, “ These inward trials”:
“…. Unreality in religion is an accursed thing. ….Unreality towards God is the wasting disease of much modern Christianity. We need God to make us realists about both ourselves and Him. Perhaps there is a word for us in the famous hymn in which John Newton describes the passage into the kind of realism that we have been seeking to induce, ‘ I asked the Lord, that I might grow
In faith, and love, and every grace;
Much more of His salvation know,
And seek more earnestly His face.
I hoped that in some favoured hour
At once He’d answer my request,
And by His love’s constraining power
Subdue my sins, and give me rest.
Instead of this, He made me feel
The hidden evils of my heart;
And let the angry powers of hell
Assault my soul in every part….
‘ Lord, why is this?’ I trembling cried,
‘ Wilt thou pursue Thy worm to death?’
‘ Tis in this way,’ the Lord replied,
‘ I answer prayer for grace and faith.
These inward trials I employ
From self and pride to set thee free;
And break thy schemes of earthly joy,
That thou may’st seek thy all in me.’ ”
I feel the same way about patience. It is not something we usually have a lot of. We are inpatient when we drive, when we talk, when we eat ( we are in a hurry or do not like what we are eating), and about what we do. Sound familiar? One of the most difficult things to do in this world is waiting. It takes a lot of wisdom and grace to be patient. It takes a lot of faith as well. In today’s world of instant messaging, texting, e mail, Facebook we are not acquainted with patience too well. Taking a step back and having a free zone from these gadgets is a good idea once and a while. In fact a school had such a challenge on the news I saw. The students had to give up their email and phones for a week. It made them realize how much they had grown dependent on them at the neglect of other things in their lives.
In Advent, we wait. Many have already moved on to Christmas forgetting we are not there yet. I gave the lady at the cleaners a funny look when she said, “ Merry Christmas.” I could not help it. It is not always Christmas. The advents of our lives have their place. We see this in the created seasons of the year. It is not always spring and fall. We have winter and summer too, the cold and the hot. Today, we light the 3rd Candle of Advent, “ Gaudete( rejoice) Sunday” as we remember His promise . He is coming. James 5:8 “ You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.”
In this text the word patience is the Greek word, makrothumia. Makro means long and thumos means hot anger. Long hot anger ---not short tempered. Charles Swindoll in his book, Growing Strong in the Seasons of Life says patience is a “ rare and remarkable virtue.” In today’s Gospel lesson we see that John is impatient. “ And when John ..heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples and said to Him, ‘ Are You the Coming one, or do we look for another?’ ” ( Matthew 11:3) It is like us . Our expectations are often not met. God has other plans . We open the Christmas gifts and hope for what we thought we had asked for. Then come the socks, the shirts and the sweaters. This was not on my list!
Can you think of a time when you had to be patient? What was it that you learned? I can think of such a time. It made me wonder if God had a hand in what was going on in my life. But when things came to fruition, I realized that I was not ready for such a place or time that I thought I should have been in. It took waiting and many no’s to understand that.
James tells us to remember the prophets “ who spoke in the name of the Lord, as an example of suffering and patience.” An example is Job according to James, v. 11. “ You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord---that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful.”
We should be patient because God is all too patient with us. “ …when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is , eight souls , were saved through water.” I Peter 3:20 “ Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?” Romans 2:4
God’s purposes cannot be rushed by us. They will unfurl in His time. And in the mystery of His providence they will be made plain. The hymn by William Cowper says : “ God moves in a mysterious way….His purposes will ripen fast, unfolding every hour; the bud may have a bitter taste, but sweet will be the flower.”
These words were penned by William Cowper who himself had times of darkness in his soul. His depression led him to want to commit suicide. His intention was to call a cabbie (not a car, but horse-drawn buggy) and ride to the river Thames to jump in and end his life. The story goes that about that time a heavy fog rolled into London and it was so thick the cabbie couldn't find his way to the river. Being frustrated himself, he ordered Cowper out of the buggy. Cowper stumbled around a dark street until he found himself at his own door. After this incident he penned these words, "God moves in a mysterious way, His wonders to perform." Indeed He does.
Are you in a time when you wonder where God is? He's right there with you, always has been, always will be. Jesus promised, "I'll be with you always." Learn to expect God showing up. Learn to enjoy the surprises. Because you never know when He will show up.
JI Packer is his book Knowing God says this in his chapter, “ These inward trials”:
“…. Unreality in religion is an accursed thing. ….Unreality towards God is the wasting disease of much modern Christianity. We need God to make us realists about both ourselves and Him. Perhaps there is a word for us in the famous hymn in which John Newton describes the passage into the kind of realism that we have been seeking to induce, ‘ I asked the Lord, that I might grow
In faith, and love, and every grace;
Much more of His salvation know,
And seek more earnestly His face.
I hoped that in some favoured hour
At once He’d answer my request,
And by His love’s constraining power
Subdue my sins, and give me rest.
Instead of this, He made me feel
The hidden evils of my heart;
And let the angry powers of hell
Assault my soul in every part….
‘ Lord, why is this?’ I trembling cried,
‘ Wilt thou pursue Thy worm to death?’
‘ Tis in this way,’ the Lord replied,
‘ I answer prayer for grace and faith.
These inward trials I employ
From self and pride to set thee free;
And break thy schemes of earthly joy,
That thou may’st seek thy all in me.’ ”
I feel the same way about patience. It is not something we usually have a lot of. We are inpatient when we drive, when we talk, when we eat ( we are in a hurry or do not like what we are eating), and about what we do. Sound familiar? One of the most difficult things to do in this world is waiting. It takes a lot of wisdom and grace to be patient. It takes a lot of faith as well. In today’s world of instant messaging, texting, e mail, Facebook we are not acquainted with patience too well. Taking a step back and having a free zone from these gadgets is a good idea once and a while. In fact a school had such a challenge on the news I saw. The students had to give up their email and phones for a week. It made them realize how much they had grown dependent on them at the neglect of other things in their lives.
In Advent, we wait. Many have already moved on to Christmas forgetting we are not there yet. I gave the lady at the cleaners a funny look when she said, “ Merry Christmas.” I could not help it. It is not always Christmas. The advents of our lives have their place. We see this in the created seasons of the year. It is not always spring and fall. We have winter and summer too, the cold and the hot. Today, we light the 3rd Candle of Advent, “ Gaudete( rejoice) Sunday” as we remember His promise . He is coming. James 5:8 “ You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.”
In this text the word patience is the Greek word, makrothumia. Makro means long and thumos means hot anger. Long hot anger ---not short tempered. Charles Swindoll in his book, Growing Strong in the Seasons of Life says patience is a “ rare and remarkable virtue.” In today’s Gospel lesson we see that John is impatient. “ And when John ..heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples and said to Him, ‘ Are You the Coming one, or do we look for another?’ ” ( Matthew 11:3) It is like us . Our expectations are often not met. God has other plans . We open the Christmas gifts and hope for what we thought we had asked for. Then come the socks, the shirts and the sweaters. This was not on my list!
Can you think of a time when you had to be patient? What was it that you learned? I can think of such a time. It made me wonder if God had a hand in what was going on in my life. But when things came to fruition, I realized that I was not ready for such a place or time that I thought I should have been in. It took waiting and many no’s to understand that.
James tells us to remember the prophets “ who spoke in the name of the Lord, as an example of suffering and patience.” An example is Job according to James, v. 11. “ You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord---that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful.”
We should be patient because God is all too patient with us. “ …when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is , eight souls , were saved through water.” I Peter 3:20 “ Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?” Romans 2:4
God’s purposes cannot be rushed by us. They will unfurl in His time. And in the mystery of His providence they will be made plain. The hymn by William Cowper says : “ God moves in a mysterious way….His purposes will ripen fast, unfolding every hour; the bud may have a bitter taste, but sweet will be the flower.”
These words were penned by William Cowper who himself had times of darkness in his soul. His depression led him to want to commit suicide. His intention was to call a cabbie (not a car, but horse-drawn buggy) and ride to the river Thames to jump in and end his life. The story goes that about that time a heavy fog rolled into London and it was so thick the cabbie couldn't find his way to the river. Being frustrated himself, he ordered Cowper out of the buggy. Cowper stumbled around a dark street until he found himself at his own door. After this incident he penned these words, "God moves in a mysterious way, His wonders to perform." Indeed He does.
Are you in a time when you wonder where God is? He's right there with you, always has been, always will be. Jesus promised, "I'll be with you always." Learn to expect God showing up. Learn to enjoy the surprises. Because you never know when He will show up.
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